Feb 5, 2015

realize WHERE YOU ARE

FAMILY! and fwiends. and stalkers. and former companions.

HELLO.

IMBABURAAAAAAAAA! I love that mountain. This is overlooking where we live. I think you can see our house. wait, no you can't.

This family is way cute. We had a mini Family Home Evening with them and they all shared what they had studied in the scriptures that week. One is a Returned Missionary, another one is on her way out, and the other one is 15... I always tell her I'm gonna marry her off to one of my brothers -- hahaha. And then there's Marco who is like 14 or something.

OBLEAS! I have no idea what they are

but they're dang good, y'all.

Cristina and her little angel children.

I have oh so much to write this week. Let's see if I can organize my thoughts. I really feel like I just wanna give all y'all my journal because there are too mnay miracles that we see everyday and so many good study sessions and so many favorite scriptures and everything - ah ah ah ah. But I shall try my best :)

SOOOO.

This week has been great. As usual. Can't believe it's already the end of week 3, HOW does time fly so quickly?!

That one time when I LOST MY PLACA (NAME TAG).... ;(

MY GORGEOUS OTAVALO, HOW I LOVE YOU SOOOOO!

We've had a lot of support from the Elder's Quorum Pres this week and also his counselor. CALLINGS ARE IMPORTANT AND INSPIRED. I never really noticed that before my mish. And the leader of the High Priests is devising this little plan where he's having each of the members of his quorum committing to coming out with us. Yay! I love supportive and motivated members!

Filling out the carpeta de area (area report), eeeeeverry night y'allllllll.

WE ATE BLOOD SOUP. It's called Yaguarlocro. Yaguar means blood in kichwa and locro is a type of soup. It was good, y'all. Not saying it'd be my food of choice everyday but it was doable. It also has the intestines and whatnot of the goat. YUUUMMMMMM. Hahha. But our mamita is so cool, she'll make us whatever we ask for (NEVER HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED ON MY WHOLE MISH) and I was talking about all of the Ecuadorian foods I wanted to try that I hadn't had the chance to yet (MISTAKE lol) and now next week we are gonna eat CUI again!!! Aka those guinea pigs. But she's a way good cook, so I ain't complainin'.

Eating le blood soup. Yummmm.

Eating empanadas de verde that our dear mamita Marisol sent us home with. DELICIOUS.

We worked super hard this week. We found a couple GREAT fams, but they belong to the other sectors surrounding us. Some are Latinos, and we only teach the Indigenous people. But it was amazing to see how prepared they were... And I know that the Lord trusted enough in us to find them, teach them about the Restoration, give 'em Books of Mormon, and then pass the reference on.

Us crying of gratitude (when I say us, I mean me, because I'm a baby) after saying a prayer of thanks after a VERY spiritual lesson with Sindy, our investigator. (We like to call them gators of the invest.)

SPEAKING OF REFERENCES! (wait.... are those referrals in English? Idk anymore). We planned this sick ward activity called ¨Viaje a Hawaii¨ which means, TRIP TO HAWAII! I about cried laughing when one of the Amaguaña kids said that she already let her teacher know she wouldn't be in class for a couple days and had started on her suitcases... ha! We had to ask the Bishop to clarify from the pulpit that the activity would only take place in the chapel.

But it was a success! It's all about how we get on a plane and go to ¨Hawaii¨ where there are different rooms with different options of how to spend your tickets. There was FOOD (literally everyone went there... Of course), a club, a casino, a spa, family home evening and ¨church¨. So they went around spending their tickets and stuff and then got back on the plane. Well, the plane wrecks and we all "die." And then they were categorized into three groups de acuerdo con cómo lo gastaron (according to how we spent our tickets). And then were sent to the Celestial, Terrestial, and Telestial kingdoms (which were decorated super cool) where they got an explanation of how it'd be. But then they all got to go to the other 2 to see how it was.

It was basically an activity to explain The Plan of Salvation better. We had a few investigators there, and got a few referrals. The idea was for everyone to bring a friend and write their names on the plane ticket. But most everyone wrote their own name, hahaha. Oh well. Sindy was there and she LOVED it. We had just taught that lesson 2 days prior.

IN JAAAAAAAAAAIL - JK

Eating something delicious. Colombian food.

I'm so jealous of Dallas sometimes - because they eat greeeedy in Columbia!

My companion is getting her Patriarchal Blessing! EEE! So stoked. It'll be good. I love my p bless. If you don't have yours, pray and get it. It's like this super awesome guide in your life.

Today, we hung out at the chapel with our zone (I love zem) and played dodgeball with toilet paper wrapped in tape, ha. And ULTIMATE FRISBEE!!!!!! It's my fave. And ate french toast. So yeah, it was a good preparation day. :)

SINDY IS SO AMAZING Oh My Goodness, HOW. She came to church and so did some of our less actives (including her brother)! She is progressing so well. We explained about tithing and fast offerings. When we did, she asked when she could pay her tithing! And when she could start her fast! We started our fasts all together. It was so cool.

Me and the Sinds. She's so darling.

She went in the other room but you could hear her praying out loud. We've been doing lots of inspired questions to kinda feel out where she's at conversion wise and every time she answers, she just blows me away! It's incredible. She says that she can feel her faith growing. She feels the desire to have a better relationship with her family (her parents are in Panamá for work and her brothers are punks), and really likes to pray and is positively eating up the Book of Mormon.

It's so cool to be a part of this process she is going through. We also taught the law of Chastity and Word of Wisdom which is usually the doozie for most. But she was like, oh, I already obeyed those and I didn't even know it! Now, with more reason I will continue to. WHAT.

We taught the class in Sunday School, it was about how Christ is the chosen Son of God and how the Plan of Salvation is just perfectly amazing. I love every chance I get to testify of Christ as our Savior because I think that it reminds those who are listening of their strong testimonies they had in the premortal life. It's a really cool thought.

GRATITUDE IS THE BIGGEST POWER WE HAVE. It has changed my life and my mission. It's just such a blesssing to be here. Not only the mish, but life itself. To be HERE. And have a body and gain experiences and put our faith to the test. I've been breathing deeply and becoming more conscious of where I'm at. One of my biggest goals this year is TO BE WHERE I AM WHEN I'M THERE. Carpe diem, ya dig?

And I find that that influences a lot in my attitude of gratitude. I am so grateful for those ¨AH HA¨ moments where you just recalibrate and realize WHERE YOU ARE and WHO YOU REPRESENT. I stand all amazed at the opportunity I have to be a missionary. I'm so happy that the Lord trusts me to teach these people and I know FOR SURE I've seem 'em before this life, and I hope I'll see them after. I am doing what I love most. I know at times it seems like a sacrifice, but it's really a labor of love among the children of men. That's really what it is. It's truly incredible to be part of people's lives like this. I'm so grateful I've learned to follow the Spirit and I have that pure desire to be obedient and worthy. I don't know if I'm making any sense but I just really, reaaally, really like being a missionary, that's all.

REMEMBER WHO Y'ALL ARE AND MAKE GOOD CHOICESSSSSSSS.

I love you all so much. SO sososososo mucho.

Con amor (with love),

Hermana (Sister) Bowman

remember, YOU ATTRACT WHAT YOU ARE. sooo,
¨Whatever you are, be a good one.¨ -good 'ole Lincoln

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My name is Lauren Bowman and I am a sister missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in QUITO ECUADOR North mission! The creation & purpose of this blog is so I can keep all my fambam/bffs/coworkers/stalkers updated. Check back often to hear all about my adventures for the next 18 months! :)